Birch State Park Railroad
A Fort Lauderdale Gem: Gone But Not Forgotten
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Hugh Taylor Birch State Park is an 180-acre park located in the central part of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This park features both the Atlantic Ocean and a scenic intercostal waterway in which many species of Florida wildlife call home. Migratory birds, gopher tortoises, raccoons, squirrels, and a plethora of sea life can be seen from the paths in the park. The park also features a handful of animal exhibits that are used for animal educational presentations! While Birch State Park is not a zoo, it's a natural peaceful environment for wildlife that call Birch State Park home!
Birch State Park is often referred to as the "Central Park of Fort Lauderdale." The land was originally purchased by Hugh Taylor Birch where he built his oceanfront estate. As he got older, he wanted to preserve his peaceful paradise so he donated it to the state where it would be recognized as a public park.
Since then, the park has featured many recreational activities including biking, paddle boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, and hiking. Birch State Park was also home to a 3-mile miniature railroad at one time!
C.P. Huntingtons #38 and #39 can be seen in the main Birch State Park Railroad Station
The Birch State Park Railroad opened in 1964. This miniature train ride featured a 3-mile tour around the park that included a narration, scenic views of the Atlantic Ocean, and two trestles that crossed the intercostal waterway. How did the railroad come to be and where is it now? Here is the story of the miniature trains of Birch State Park:
The miniature railroad at Birch State Park had a mountain to climb before it even opened at the park. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park had plans to install a miniature railroad to bring revenue to the park. Due to state law, all modes of transportation were required to go through an approval process by the state. While the miniature railroad was proposed, there were many people that opposed the idea of a new miniature railroad in the park. Several meetings were heard, prior to the railroad's approval, where local residents and members from the Audubon society expressed their concerns. The Audubon society believed that the railroad would disturb the park's wildlife, especially the birds, and could influence other state parks to add more commercialized activities. Some local residents who lived nearby believed that they were improperly informed about the railroad's construction and had concerns with the noise as well.
C.P. Huntington #38 in the early years at Birch State Park.
Finally, on May 11, 1964, the Birch State Park Railroad was given the "high ball" and was cleared for construction. The park's board approved Bob Heath Associates a ten-year contract to operate the miniature railroad at Birch State Park in exchange for 10% of the train's revenue. The board believed that the miniature railroad would provide an additional way for more people to see the park's natural beauties while also providing an educational value about the park and it's history. The board also stated that those who opposed the railroad were improperly informed and that the railroad would not cause a major disturbance to those who lived in the surrounding areas or the park's wildlife.
One of the two trains chugs through the natural foliage of Birch State Park.
The two C.P. Huntington locomotives and six-passenger cars were delivered to Birch State Park on June 30, 1964 from Chance Rides Manufacturing. Their first train was C.P. Huntington #38 and was red and blue and featured red coaches with blue roofs. The second train was C.P. Huntington #39 and was all red and featured all red coaches. Even with the arrival of the trains on the property, those who opposed the miniature railroad still put up a fight against it, scheduling an injunction hearing before a judge in the upcoming months.
Paddle boats and canoes could be rented from the marina where one could cruise along the canal under the railroad bridges.
The Birch State Park Railroad officially opened to the public on July 3, 1964. During one of the trial runs, the park tested the sights and sounds of the railroad in order to combat the opponents of the miniature trains. The official results of the test runs found that the miniature trains did not make any more noise than the boats' motors as they go through the waterway that runs parallel to the railroad tracks and it did not emit any more fumes than any of the city park's trucks that traversed the park.
C.P. Huntington #39 crossing the two trestles on the railroad.
The 3-mile railroad went through the park while the trains' conductors recited a spiel that told about the park's history, the natural wildlife, and lush vegetation that surround the park. During the 30 minute ride, the trains crossed two large trestles that spanned across the park's waterways and also went through a 400-foot tunnel. When the train opened in 1964, the cost to ride the miniature railroad was only $1 for adults and 50-cents for children. The revenue from the Birch State Park Railroad would go towards the park's upkeep and maintenance.
C.P. Huntington #38 crossing one of the two trestles that were major highlights on the railroad.
At the end of August 1964, Hurricane Cleo struck Fort Lauderdale and many other surrounding areas of Florida. This was the strongest storm of that year and it caused nearly 200 trees to fall across the Birch State Park Railroad tracks. The storm also washed out numerous parts of the tracks, causing the railroad to close for 3 months while crews could clean up and fix the damages from the storm. On Thanksgiving day, the railroad reopened chugging along the tracks once again.
One of the two trains travels through the lush vegetation of Birch State Park with a full train of passengers.
Despite those who opposed the trains' existence at the park, the miniature railroad and park grew in popularity. In 1974, the railroad's contract was renewed for another 10 years and continued to be a staple amongst park visitors. Other tourist and recreational activities were also added to the park including a concession stand and boat rentals in the marina.
The trestles along the 3-mile railroad route provided photographic panoramas of the park's scenery.
Over the years, the train's appearances and paint schemes fluctuated a little bit. One of the trains wore a straight smokestack briefly versus the popular diamond stack that the C.P. Huntington trains have. The trains also wore multiple paint schemes in the later years from red and black to all blue to red, green, and black. The locomotives’ numbers, 38 and 39, did not change over the years. The numbers on the sides of the locomotives signified their unit numbers from their manufacturer, Chance Rides, meaning they were the 38th and 39th trains manufactured by the company.
C.P. Huntington #38 in the foreground wearing a new, yet temporary, all blue paint scheme. Photo Credit Joseph F. & Richard T. Braun, Braun Bros Collection
In 1984, the miniature railroad was due for contract renewal once more. In the last ten years, things had drastically changed for Birch State Park and the miniature trains. In December of 1983, the stockholders of Birch State Park decided they did want to operate the train at the park any longer. The park's attendance had drastically declined in the past ten years, causing financial difficulties for the park. Additionally, one of the miniature trains was out of order which caused unreliability and longer wait times. The rise in price to ride the miniature train was also to blame for the low attendance. In 1983 and beginning of 1984, the train would make 9 trips a day and cost $2.25 for adults and $1.50 for kids. Only 43,000 people rode the train over the course of one year from July 1982-1983 which was significantly low compared to previous years. Another drawback for the park was that the food concession and boat rentals closed and went out of business earlier that year. More county parks in the city were also to blame for the park's low attendance, all leading to the railroad's decline in revenue and eventual closure.
Engine #39 now wears the red, blue, and light blue paint scheme that Engine #38 originally had.
The park's new stockholders did not see the value (or the memories) in the train ride anymore. They believed that walking paths and park rangers to answer questions would be able to take the place of the train and historical information and views that the miniature railroad provided.
An old ticket from the Birch State Park Railroad featuring an illustration of the train and one of the railroad trestles.
On April 30, 1984, the Birch State Park Railroad's miniature train took passengers for their final ride around the park, just as it had for 20 years. Many people came out to ride the train that day and ridership for the month of April was up compared to the prior months. People shared memories of the train ride over the years and many came to ride the train one last time and say their goodbyes. The park even had to stay open an hour later due to the amount of people wanting to take one last ride on the train. An average of 9 rides a day turned into 23 rides that last weekend. The once popular miniature trains would definitely be missed. At 6:40pm, the red miniature train pulled into the Birch State Park Railroad station and blew its whistle for the last time.
The derelict trains can be seen in the main station in the later years.
What happened to the miniature trains after this day? The two miniature trains were put up for sale for $50,000 each and work to rip of the track began the very next day. The two C.P. Huntington trains that had been side by side for 20 years did not stay together after this day. For a long time, it was rumored that the trains were scrapped due to rust deterioration from the salty ocean air. However, that was proven not to be true. While the trains' complete history after their time at Birch State Park is not completely known, both trains still operate today!
According to the Miniature Railroad database maintained by the C.P. Huntington Project Facebook group, both trains were purchased by Kelton Motors Inc. The trains were restored and then resold to other properties for operation.
C.P. Huntington #38 now operates at Historic Smithville Village in Smithville, NJ. Number 38 retains it's original red, blue, and light blue paint scheme and chugs around the village all year round, dependent on the weather.
This photo from www.historicsmithville.com shows C.P. Huntington #38 at it's new home and parked outside of the station in Smithville Village.
C.P. Huntington #39 operated for many years at Quechee Gorge Village in Quechee, Vermont. Number 39 began operating there in 1985 as a backup locomotive to their Crown Metal Products steam locomotive. The locomotive was repainted red, blue, and light blue with yellow trim, almost identical to number 38's original paint scheme. Whenever the steam locomotive needed to be refurbished in the early 2000s and was eventually sold, C.P. Huntington #39 became the main workhorse of the Woodstock Railroad that took people around the antique shopping mall and village. In 2021, Quechee Gorge Village put all of the rides up for sale including the miniature train. Number 39 and it's coaches were sold to Liberty Ridge Farm in Schaghticoke, New York. C.P. Huntington #39 underwent an engine refurbishment and now lives a life in retirement, hauling passengers on the River Bend Railroad around the property's countryside for the farm's fall festival.
A photo of #39 from the 2022 Fall Festival on the Liberty Ridge Farm website shows the miniature train at it's new home.
While the miniature trains of Birch State Park chug along at their new homes, their memories of their time in Florida live on. Even though their 20 years in the sunshine state was cut short, the memories of their time in Birch State Park made a lasting impression on families, local historians, and miniature train fans alike. The remains of the two railroad trestles still stand abandoned over the waterways at Birch State Park, marking the railroad's existence at the park.
Take a ride back in time behind C.P. Huntington #38 at Birch State Park in the 1970s by watching this Youtube video below:
To learn more about Hugh Taylor Birch State Park, visit https://www.floridastateparks.org/hughtaylorbirch or the Friends of Birch State Park at https://birchstatepark.org.
All historical photographs in this blog post are from my personal collection of postcards, brochures, and slides that I’ve collected over the years unless otherwise noted.
While I never had the privilege of riding the Birch State Park Railroad, I can imagine the beauty and scenery from the love and memories that have been passed on.